Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA
![Rick Pollack Perspective 900x400 12-2023](/sites/default/files/2023-12/Rick-Pollack-Perspective-900x400px-12-23.png)
We must stabilize hospitals’ finances to ensure access to patient care. We must strengthen the health care workforce.
Hospitals and health systems are facing many significant challenges, including historic workforce shortages, soaring costs of providing care, cracks in the supply chain, severe underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid, and overwhelming regulatory and administrative burdens, just to name a few. These challenges are jeopardizing access to care and services for patients and communities.
Hospital and health system leaders from across the country next weekend will begin to arrive in Washington, D.C. for the 2023 AHA Annual Membership Meeting
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are facing the most significant coverage challenge since the passage of the Affordable Care Act 13 years ago.
One year ago, we asked hospitals and health systems to participate in an important effort – AHA’s Health Equity Roadmap.
The March 21 Health & Science article “Many Americans — especially those below U.S. poverty level — are buried in hospital bills” missed a major reason that medical debt has increased in our country: the rise of high-deductible and skinny insurance plans that result in larger out-of-pocket expenses for consumers.
Some of the most impactful laws passed in our country have needed to be revisited and fine-tuned to remain relevant to peoples’ lives.
Hospitals and health systems can play an important role in ensuring patients have trustworthy, accurate and scientifically sound information to help them make the best health care decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
The international firm EY has looked at how the benefits tax-exempt hospitals provide stack up against their federal tax exemption. Last year’s report showed the spread was 9 to 1 – for every $1 of exemption, reporting hospitals provided $9 of benefit to the community.
Hospitals and health systems are committed to empowering patients with all the information they need to live their healthiest lives. This includes ensuring they have access to accurate information on their costs estimates when seeking care.